The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1887-07-08
TILLAGE AND CLOVER.
The History Of one Field.

AA0 AAoGOAy VI OA0 L AOiN-
1 wrote you during the summer of
1882, think, about plowing under
some second crop clover for wheat.
This afterwards seemed to be 6nan,
cial blunder, as clover seed brought
nearly So bushel the next spring,
and another field near by, from which
the seed was gathered, yielded about
three bushels per acre. The seed could
have been taken off, had we known how
well it would pay, and the ground
plowed shallow in time for wheat. But
it was plowed under when it had got
its full growth, and the land was thor
oughly worked every few days until
time to put in wheat. No manure of
any kind was used. None had been
put on this field for some years (eight
or nine, think, speaking from mem
ory), except on perhaps three-fourths of
an acre where squashes and garden
stuff had been planted. This spot had
been manured twice very heavily
Forty or fifty loads of good manure per
acre (large wagon loads) l call very
heavy manuring.
On this field the wheat was sown in
the fall of 1882. 1t made large
growth, and. as rule, covered the
ground well, In the field is steep
side hill facing the northwest. Fear
ing the wheat would be killed at this
exposed point, We drew out some fresh
manure during the winter and spread
evenly over the worse part. This side
hill is also quite poor land, as the soil
has much of it been washed down,
when the field was under cultivation.
The spring of 1888 will be long re-
membered by wheat growers of Ohio.
Wheat was frozen right down into the
ground and apparently killed, unless it
had protection by woods. Mine was
frozen down, even that covered by ma
nure. When the first warm days came
the odor was sickening, as it rotted
down. 1 hardly knew what to do, as
the wheat seemed entirely dead. Rath-
er than risk losing the use of the lot
we plowed it and put it into potatoes,
although it would throw US out of our
regular rotation. However, another
field of wheat with more southerly
exposure, and which did not seem to be
quite SO badly injured, was left, as it
seeded. 1t gave us % bushels of choice
wheat per acre after all. 1 have never
harvested smaller yield than this.
The large amount of tillage that had
been put on the ground (twice plowing),
and the clover tops and roots and also
the wheat that had been plowed under,
gave us fine crop of potatoes. The
season of 1883 was the best I ever have
experic need for potatoes.
Now, in order to get back into our
regular rotation, it was necessary to put
that field into potatoes two more years
in succession, as the regular years for
it to be planted were 1884 and 1885.
This probably was not wise, and I
would not advise any one else to do
such thing; but I did it, and this let
ter is written to give facts, or as nearly
as I can. true history of this field for
q term Of years. In the fall of 1888 we
put on q moderate coat Of compost. In
1884 we had fsir crop of potatoes. 1t
was too dry for large crop. I knew
1 ran great risk in putting it in potatoes
again, and therefore did every thing
possible to help the crop in the
way of extra and thorough tillage.
They looked very promising until the
blight came along and used them up.
In spite of blight and mismanagement
in planting three years on the same
land, however, we had paying crop
in 1885. 1t paid living profit.
Owing to wet weather we were un-
able to get the potatoes off in time to
give the wheat, which followed, the
best possible chance, and then that
northwestern exposure was against US
again on a part of the field. On the
rest of the lot we had as fine wheat as
ever grew on it. Glover and timothy
seed were sown in the spring Of 1886.
1t was SO dry last year that We did net
get much of a crop of rowen after the
wheat. The field was all moved over,
however, to cut off the stubble and any
weeds that might be growing. Where
the clover was heavy enough to do dam
age by lying, it was raked up and drawn
in.
And now comes the point am after.
The clover on that field this year is the
heaviest crop that ever grew on it since
l have lived here. 1t was two feet high
by the middle of May, on most of the
field, and thicker than l ever had any
before. On the 2lst it began to fall
over by its own weight, without any
rain on it, 1t is now about all down,
fat, and growing up again. Now why
is this crop better, decidedly, than the